The Sacrifice
by SwanQueen4tw
Summary: Set as Emma sacrifices herself for Regina. A humorous version of what happens when Regina summons Emma and not Hook.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm using two dialog pieces I found on FB.**

 **The Sacrifice**

"Emma, no." My voice was a whisper. A single tear rolled down my cheek as Emma plunged the dagger into the darkness that surrounded me. I saw her once bright green eyes turn black and then a dull green. We never broke eye contact until she was swallowed by the darkness. The dagger fell to the street and no one moved. None of us could believe the sacrifice Emma just made. _She sacrificed herself for me. For my happiness._ "That idiot! She's so stupid!" Anger started to course through my veins. _How could she do this to us?_

"Regina!" David yelled from behind me.

"No! There had to have been another way!" My voice rose with each word. Henry was unable to speak. He was still in shock.

"Regina, there wasn't. She saved you." Mary Margaret tried to comfort me. "She's still good." Her voice and optimism sickened me.

Taking steps towards the petite woman, I tried to conceal my rage. "It's not like she floated off on a unicorn! She got sucked into a vortex of evil!" _That darkness was meant for me not her!_

"Regina…" Robin tried to pull me into his arms but I stopped him.

"No. Do not touch me." Turning, I saw the pirate pick up Emma's dagger. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Dark One, I summon thee." He held the dagger before him. When nothing happened, he tried again. "Dark One, I summon thee!" Frustration was clear when Emma didn't come. "Why isn't it working?"

"Because the dagger doesn't belong to you. Emma was pure light magic and then became pure darkness. With every past Dark One, the dagger belonged to two people; The Dark One themselves and another."

"I'm her true love so shouldn't I be its second owner?" Hook's brow creased.

"For one, you've kissed her quite a few times before while a curse of some sort was active, did said kiss break anything?" I stood in front of the pirate.

He thought a moment. "N-no?"

"Then what does that tell us?" I grabbed the dagger before the heartbroken pirate could answer.

"Regina, go easy on him. But, if Hook isn't Emma's true love and isn't the dagger's second owner, then who is?" David held onto his frazzled wife.

"Mom?" Henry watched as I ran my hands over the cold metal.

As I held the dagger something felt drawn to me. The name Emma Swan engraved into it. The dagger felt like an extension of me. Pain filled my chest as I thought about Emma sacrificing herself for my happiness. Four years ago I wouldn't have been happier and now, now I'm…disgusted. _That idiot!_ "Dark One, I summon thee." I waited.

"What makes you think she'll come to you?" Hook scoffed.

"Because I scare the hell out of her," I paused. "Miss. Swan, come! Now!" A dark purple smoke started to swirl a few feet away. I couldn't help the triumphant smirk that made its way to my lips. The despair in Snow's eyes was too great. I owned her precious daughter.

"You summoned me, Regina?" Emma's voice was dark. Her eyes were a dull shade of green and her hair was tossed. She wore a long black dress that flowed behind her. Something was different about her body. She was, taller? Emma started towards me. "Regina, I will destroy you-,"

"Hold up." I held my hand out, forcing Emma to stop. My arms folded as I looked down. "What are those?" Emma frowned glancing to her feet and back to me. "Those. Are. Mine." With each word, I took a step entering the blonde's personal space. With a wave of my hand, we were enveloped in a cloud of smoke that transported us to my crypt. "What the hell were you doing in my closet? Might I remind you, the closet I have in my crypt."

Emma's eyes grew wide a moment. "Who says these are yours?"

"Try to walk." I motioned towards the door. When Emma refused, I held the dagger towards her. "Walk." Grumbling, Emma tried to walk away; stumbling every step. "See? Those _are_ mine."

"So what if they are your shoes? I'm more powerful than you now…"

A chuckle bubbled into my throat. "Are you sure about that?"

Emma faced me once more. "Regina-,"

"Bow." A second later, Emma was on her knees. "Still think you're more powerful?"

Fire burned in Emma's eyes. "When I get my dagger…."

"Oh, but here's the thing, you're not getting this dagger. I'm keeping it. Otherwise, you're going to do something more stupid than you've already done."

"What did I do that was so stupid?" Emma stood slowly.

"You became The Dark One you idiot. You sacrificed-,"

"Regina! Emma!" Both Emma and I groaned at the sound of Mary Margaret's voice. Shortly after, she was followed by Hook, Robin, Henry, and Charming. "What are the two of you doing down here? Regina, why did you bring her here?"

"We needed to talk. Alone. Emma will remain here until we figure out how to reverse this." Emma opened her mouth to argue but closed it when I held up the dagger. She might be the all powerful Dark One to everyone else but she's still just Emma to me. There had to be a way to reverse this.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: this has become a three chaptered fic. You may need tissues for this chapter.**

"Regina, I think Emma will be safe with me. No need to keep her locked up down here like an animal." Hook pleaded.

"No." I stood by Emma. I wasn't going to let her out of arm's length.

"But Reg-,"

"I. Said. No." Eventually the pirate realized no amount of begging would change my mind. "Henry, will you stay with your grandparents?"

"You're not going to let me near our son?" Emma scoffed, turning towards me.

"Not now. It's hard to trust someone who just turned dark and steals your clothes…again."

"That was Henry!" Emma's eyes grew wide.

I couldn't help but smirk. The real Emma is still in there. She flusters just as easy. "Maybe. But I have yet to have gotten the shirt back." Emma scowled.

"Night Ma. We'll figure this out. You won't hurt us." Henry hugged Emma tightly. "I love you." A lump formed in my throat at the sight before me. I had to get the real Emma back for Henry's sake. He needed both of his mothers. "Night Mom. Help bring Emma home."

I pulled our son into a tight embrace. "I'll do my best Henry." Kissing him on the forehead, I noticed Emma's parents saying their goodbyes. It took everything I had to not vomit.

"Goodnight my love." The pirate placed his hand on the small of Emma's back and a shot of rage made its way through my veins. My grip tightened on Emma's dagger. "I love you." I smiled inwardly when Emma turned away from Hook's kiss.

"Goodnight Hook."

It wasn't until they were gone that I spoke again. "Now, change out of those and into something more appropriate."

"Why are you treating me the same way? Everyone else is scared of me but you're not?"

There was a part of me that was proud of Emma when she used magic to change out of the dress and my shoes. "Because you're still the Emma who sacrificed herself for my happiness. You're just a bit on the darker side now."

"A bit?" Emma turned with a chuckle. Her choice of clothing was all black. "I'm The Dark One, Regina. I want to crush someone's heart to feel the dust slip through my fingers. I want to destroy any optimism there is in this town. The only reason I didn't is because I know you're controlling me."

 _No. I'm not. I've not been controlling you since you bowed._ "Well, when it comes to destroying optimism, I'm tempted to let you go after your parents. But, for Henry's sake and your own, I won't. No matter how tempting that is. And that outfit will never do." Waving my hand, Emma's leather jacket appeared. Instead of black jeans she was in her normal dark wash blue jeans. "Much better."

"You're dressing me now?" Emma tugged at her jacket.

"Stay out of my closet, Miss. Swan." We stood in silence. The golden glow from the candles flickered on Emma's pale complexion. Clearing my throat, I started towards the staircase; stopping in front of Emma. "If you need anything, you can call me. But stay here for tonight." _We'll fix this; together._ "Goodnight Emma."

"Night Regina."

Xxx

Letting my silk robe fall to the floor, I stepped into the steaming shower. The hot water felt lovely on my sore muscles; the pressure loosening the tension in my shoulders. I didn't bother putting a protection spell on the door of my crypt. If Emma went anywhere it would be here to get her dagger. Little did the blonde know, I wasn't letting the dagger out of my sight. I set it by my shampoo bottle. _Emma might be honed in on getting this back, but there's no way she would chance trying to grab it now. I could only imagine the look of horror and frustration on Emma's face when she realized the dagger is with me in the shower._ A soft chuckle escaped my throat as I ran a washcloth over my curves. As I rinsed my hair, I heard a familiar set of footsteps. "You won't find it Emma."

"Where's my dagger, Regina?" Emma's voice was nearly a growl.

"It's with me," I paused, "In the shower. If you have a death wish, feel free to try and grab it. If not, I suggest you turn around so I can dry off and cover myself."

Emma grumbled and turned around. "Fine."

I could tell the silence was making Emma uncomfortable. "So, you left the crypt and tried to get the dagger from me. Did you really think I would make it that easy?"

"I didn't think you would shower with it." Emma was tense. She could feel my eyes burning into her.

Tying my robe, I started to towel dry my hair. "You can turn around now." As Emma's eyes fell on me, her cheeks turned their normal pinkish color. _Good. The real Emma is still in there._

Looking away quickly, Emma cleared her throat. "Really Regina? Cover up."

"You're the one who came into my bathroom. Emma, you're not getting this dagger back." The blonde watched as I slipped it inside my robe. Her green eyes darkened as they lingered a moment. "You can sleep in the guest room. But if you try to steal the dagger while I'm asleep, you will regret it."

Xxx

It was nearly noon before I heard Emma stirring upstairs. Pouring her a cup of coffee, I returned to my seat as Emma entered the kitchen. "Good afternoon."

"Coffee…."

"Well, it's good to see that some things haven't changed." I watched the blonde slump over the counter. "Hungry? Even The Dark One needs to eat." Emma sipped her coffee in silence; her green eyes studying me. "You're safe here Emma. I'm not going to kill you or lock you away in a hat. I'd never do that to Henry. He needs both of us."

"Why do you still see me as just Emma?"

"Because you saw me as just Regina." Silence fell between us. I wasn't sure, but I think there was a slight glimmer of light in Emma's eyes. It lasted a second and then was gone. "Now, do you want lunch or not?" Before Emma could answer, her stomach growled. "That's what I thought."

Xxx

After lunch, Emma and I went back to my crypt. We searched through my spell books looking for anything that could help us. "Regina?"

"Yes?" The worry in Emma's voice made me weary.

"Will you promise me something?" Emma's voice was nearly a whisper.

Closing my book, I gave the worried blonde my full attention. "What is it?"

Biting her lower lip, Emma took in a deep breath. "If I ever try to hurt you, Henry, or my parents and you can't stop me. I want you to be the one to kill me. I can't stand the thought of losing myself to the darkness and hurting you or Henry. So please, if I lose myself…" Clearing her throat, Emma tried to continue.

"Emma, it won't come to that. I won't let it. But, if that happens, yes. I will kill you before you hurt Henry." The thought of killing Emma sickened me. _Four years ago I would have no problem killing her. I wanted her dead and gone from my life. But now, now I can't stand to think what my life would be like without her._

"Or you?" Emma paused. "Regina?"

"Yes Dear?" The realization startled me.

Emma stood and knelt before me. She took the book from my hands and placed it on the floor. Crossing her arms to lean against my knees, she gave me her full attention. "Regina," Emma placed a hand on top of mine. Her touch was cold. Nothing like it once was. "Thank you. I couldn't bare the idea of hurting you or Henry." There was a single tear that rolled down Emma's cheek.

Before I could stop myself, I wiped away the tear with my thumb and cupped the blonde's cheek. "You're welcome." A soft smile tugged at the corners of Emma's mouth. _That smile. That cheesy smile of hers. It's good to see it again._

Emma and I just stayed; neither of us looking away. Breath hitched in my throat as I watched Emma slowly move closer. When her lips were a whisper from mine, my phone rang. Emma moved quickly to the other side of the crypt and looked away. "Regina, I'm sorry. I…"

Looking down at my phone, I secretly cursed Robin. "Yes Robin?" Emma's eyes flashed towards me; anger and sorrow in them. "She's with me. No, its best if you stay away from her for now. Emma is…a bit temperamental. Just like a teenager."

"Hey!" Emma stuck her tongue out as she picked up a book.

Chuckling silently, I continued my conversation. "I'll be fine. Emma knows better than to hurt me. Is Henry near you by chance?" There was a moment's silence on the phone.

"Hey Mom, any luck?" Henry sounded hopeful.

Putting him on speaker, I answered. "Not yet. How about you? Finding that wizard is our best bet."

"Nothing yet."

"Can I say hi?" Emma kept her voice hushed.

"That's why I put him on speaker phone, you idiot."

Emma scowled and came closer to the phone. "Hey kiddo. How are you?"

"I'm okay. You? You sound less dark." The three of us couldn't help but laugh. _Our family._ Warmth tugged at my heart.

"I'm alright. Regina and I are looking through her spell books. Well, she's looking through them. I have no clue what any of this means. And yes, your mother just rolled her eyes at me." I gave Emma the phone so I could keep looking. I needed to find a way to reverse this. Two books later, my hands stopped. That's _it. But, would it work?_ Emma stopped talking when she realized the color drained from my face. "Hold on kid. Regina, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I need to go." Emma watched as I hurried towards the stairs. "Stay here."

Xxx

"Tell me, when are you ever going to listen to me?" I closed the book as Emma entered my study. My heart was heavy.

"When you start controlling me with the dagger. Why did you leave in such a hurry? What did you find?" Emma came to lean against my desk. Worry was clear.

"You will always follow me, correct?" _I know what I have to do. Even if it kills me._

Emma's brow creased. "Why?" With a wave of my hand, I transported us to the town line. "Regina, what the hell are you planning?"

"Henry needs his birth mother." As I walked closer to Emma, my plan became clear to her.

"Regina, no! He needs us both!" Emma tried moving away but I pulled out the dagger; keeping her in place. "Please Regina, don't do this. I'm begging you! Don't please!" Emma's voice was choked.

"I love you, Emma Swan. That's why I must do this." With that, I plunged the dagger into Emma's shoulder.


	3. Chapter 3

"I love you, Emma Swan. That's why I must do this." With that, I plunged the dagger into Emma's shoulder. Darkness started to escape her and cling onto me. I couldn't move. Pain was everywhere.

"REGINA!" Strong arms caught me as I started to fall. "No! Why? Why did you become The Dark One? If one of us was supposed to die it was me!"

"My idiot." I smiled up at the blonde. Tears were streaming down her face. "Don't cry Emma. Just take care of our son."

"I refuse to let you die in my place!" Emma tried to use her light magic but to no avail. I felt my body growing colder. "I love you Regina." Emma clung to me; burring her head in my neck. "You can't become the dark one. Give me the dagger!"

"No." I felt my strength come back. "It's too late Miss. Swan. Leave me alone."

"When do I ever listen to you?" Grabbing the hand that still has a vice grip on the dagger, Emma kissed me. "I love you damn it." Warmth surrounded us. I felt the darkness start to leave my body.

Breaking the kiss, I looked towards our hands. "Emma, look."

She did as I asked. "No way…" The darkness surrounded the dagger and seemed to be drawn into it. "Regina, are you still…?"

"No. I don't think so." Getting to my feet, I threw the dagger over the town line. As it crossed, the dagger disintegrated into ash.

"Regina, are you okay?" Emma held onto my arm.

"I'm still here aren't I?" I smiled towards the worried blonde only to receive an eye roll.

"I'm legitimately worried about you and all I get is a smart ass answer? What the hell?" Emma shoved me lightly which caused us both to laugh. "What happened to it?"

"Magic objects can only exist when there's magic. They can't cause any damage when there's no magic. But one that dark couldn't sustain form."

"So, is it over?"

Sighing, I answered. "Probably not. But, for now, I think we're safe."

"Good." Emma shoved her hands in her back pockets and kicked around a rock. "Join me for a drink? Or two?"

"Remember what happened last time we drank together?" I smirked.

A light blush crossed Emma's cheeks. "Okay, drink at your place. I'll sleep in the guest room so we won't have to help the other get home. Both of us stumbling everywhere."

"Sounds lovely."

Xxx

Like all good, responsible parents, we called Henry to let him and the others know what happened before we started drinking. I explained that certain things were said that Emma and I needed to discuss alone. He and the rest of the group promised to give us our space. They would meet us at Granny's in the morning for breakfast. The air was thick with tension so neither of us spoke until we had a shot or two in us. "Emma,"

"Did you mean it?" Placing her whiskey sour on the bar, Emma looked at me.

I fought my walls. I had to answer her. I had to tell her the truth. "Yes."

"I did too." Tension started to fade. "True Love's Kiss…."

"It saved us. But what we need to know is, was that True Love's Kiss between friends or lovers." The color drained from Emma's face and then replaced by a dark shade of red. _Well, that gives me her answer. But what's mine? Do I love Emma romantically or just care about her because she gave me Henry?_ "Emma?"

"I've loved you…romantically….or wanted romantically for awhile now," Emma mumbled. Everyone knew it was hard for us to show vulnerability and to express certain emotions. Love being the hardest to express. "I just never said anything because of Robin…"

"You've been jealous of him since the start. Don't deny it. Join me in the den?"

"Sure." We took our drinks into the den and took a seat on the vintage couch. "I won't deny it. I never tried to hide it."

"Yes, I know. I was there for most of it." A soft chuckle escaped Emma's throat as she finished her drink. "Another?" Refilling both of our glasses, I continued. "He saw it too."

"He did?"

"Yes. And each time he brought up the topic of how I felt about it, you always seemed to interrupt it."

"Oops." Emma grinned.

"Don't be a child." All I could do was shake my head as Emma stuck out her tongue.

"What was your answer?" Emma held onto her glass. She was dealing with her fight or flight reaction as well.

 _Emma and I are more alike than we are different._ "I was never sure of my answer until you sacrificed yourself for my happiness. When I saw the darkness surround you…"

"I saw the tear." Emma knew I couldn't admit it.

 _She always understands._ "I knew you had." A soft smile made its way to my lips as I turned to face the blonde. "I think that I love you in the romantic sense. We seem to even each other out. You're extremely childish for the most part and I'm too much of an adult…"

"99 percent of the time" Emma grinned.

"Shut up, you idiot." Cupping her cheek, I closed the gap between our lips. Warmth encased my heart. _I've not felt like this since Daniel._ As I deepened the kiss, Emma laced her fingers in my hair. Finally breaking the kiss for air, I let my forehead rest against hers.

"Regina..."

"It's romantic." Capturing Emma's lips with mine, I guided her to straddle my lap. "We'll take it slow, if that's okay with you."

"That's perfect."


End file.
